Bad Reputation
by fieldagent85
Summary: Sequel to Happy Birthday, Baby. Abbey and Liz adjust to their respective pregnancies.
1. Chapter 1

In her sixteen years, Elizabeth Adele Bartlet had known many things. Joy, sadness, confusion, pain, excitement, love, astonishment, loneliness. But never in her life had she experienced sheer humiliation. Embarassment, yes, though never to an exorbitant extent. Yet, walking through the halls of Capitol Hill High School, her best friend at her side, she was struck with an overwhelming feeling of humiliation.

As she and Mallory made their way through the halls, halls they'd traveled thousands of times before, Elizabeth felt hundreds of eyes burning into her. Everyone was staring and not a head was turned away from her. A few kids even managed a snicker or two as she passed. She felt tears sting her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She took a deep breath and held her head high. When she noticed Ben Silverman standing by his locker, struggling to open it (it wasn't hard to notice him, as he was the only student with his back turned to her), she began walking faster, towards him. Mallory scurried to catch up with her.

"Hey!" She shouted, angrily, at him.

When he turned around, all the staring students immediately turned away and continued on with their business.

"Oh. Hey, Liz," he said, nervously.

"What the hell is all this!" Liz cried, gesturing toward all the students who had just seconds ago been glaring at her.

"What?"

"Liz, I'm gonna go to lunch…" Mallory said, not wanting to intrude.

"No. Stay."

"Ok," she conceded, without question.

"Who did you tell, Jackass!" Liz demanded.

"I didn't tell anyone, Liz," Ben insisted.

"I only told my family and Mallory's. You had to tell someone!"

"I just told Matt! I swear!"

Matthew Bridges. His best friend.

"Then Matt told everyone else," Liz said.

"Matt wouldn't do that to me."

"Well, he did."

"How can you tell?" Ben asked.

"Everyone was staring at me! No kidding, EVERYONE!"

"Nobody was staring at you, Liz. You're just paranoid. Nobody knows."

Just then, two students walked by, whispering and laughing.

"Oh yeah. Nobody knows," Liz replied, rolling her eyes.

"Look, I didn't tell anyone but Matt. If Matt told people, that's not my fault."

She shook her head in disbelief.

"Jackass," she said, walking away, with Mallory trailing close behind.

Mallory was laughing.

"What?" Liz asked as they walked down the halls again.

"Nothing it's just…you are so your mother's daughter."

"Why?"

"All of that, back there with Ben. All of that was Abbey. Especially the jackass bit," Mallory said.

"No, that was all me, honey," Liz replied.

"Own up, Liz. You are just like your mom."

"You're kidding, right? I'm exactly like my dad. Everybody says so."

"Then they don't know you. You got that spitfire attitude from your mother and no one else. And you're the spitting image of her too. Except maybe your nose. And your height. You definitely didn't get that from her. Or your dad, come to think of it."

"Ok, why did you choose right now to bring this up?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't know. It just occurred to me."

"Well. I hope this baby isn't like its father."

"Come on. Ben's not a bad guy. He's freaked out. He doesn't know what to do," Mallory pointed out.

"Oh, and I do?"

"Well, men are pigs. We knew this already."

Liz laughed, cynically.

"And Ben was talking about marriage before. Marriage! Ha!"

"He panicked."

"I'm never getting married. Not to Ben Silverman or anyone else."

"You don't mean that, Liz," Mallory said when they reached the cafeteria and got in the lunch line.

"Oh, yes I do mean that. I'm not letting any man take away my identity."

"That's not what marriage is about though."

"Marriages never last anyway," Liz added.

"Sure they do. Look at our parents. Both our parents have been married twenty-some years, Liz. That's no small accomplishment."

"Well, they're different."

"Why?"

"They just are. This is the 80's. Things are different now."

"Oook, whatever. You'll change your mind eventually."

After getting their food, they took their trays and sat down at an empty table. Mallory decided it was time she changed the subject. If only slightly.

"So how do you feel about this whole thing with your mom?"

"What."

"Her being pregnant and all."

"I don't know," Liz said, moving her food around with a plastic fork. "It's weird."

"Well, yeah. God, if my mom was pregnant now…I'd probably kill myself or something."

"Thanks, Mal.That's encouraging. You're a real pal."

"Hey, I'm sorry. But I mean, think about it. You're going to be pregnant at the same time!"

"We already are, Mallory."

"You know what I mean. But at least you'll have someone to like…talk to. Relate to. That sort of thing."

"Yeah! And golly gee, I sure hope we can go to Lamaze classes together too!" Liz exclaimed mockingly, with a big fake smile on her face, giving Mallory a thumbs up.

"My God. You're already having mood swings."

Elizabeth laughed and flung a few peas at Mallory with her fork. She ducked just in time.

"Eight more months of this joyous bliss! I can't wait!" 


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth arrived home from school that day at 2:30pm feeling nauseous and dizzy. She tried to brush it off, and she assumed it would go away. Usually did. And she really didn't want to spend her only hour to herself feeling sick. Ellie and Zoey returned home from school at four, and after that it was chaos in the Bartlet household.

But the moment she walked in the door, she found herself running directly to the bathroom. After ten minutes of incessant vomitting, she finally emerged from the bathroom. She slowly walked into the kitchen, grabbed the phone, and sat down at the table. As she dialed the number, she felt the feeling of queasiness return, but this time it refrained.

"George Washington General Hospital. How may I direct your call?"

"Uh, Dr. Abigail Bartlet please," Liz said, weakly.

"One moment."

It was more than a moment, but the phone operator returned to the line about four minutes later. Liz was used to this. She knew it often took awhile to locate the doctors in the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Bartlet's in the OR right now. Can I take a message?"

"Oh, um. Yes, just tell her her daughter called please."

"Will do."

"Thank you." She hung up and leaned back in the chair, inhaling and then letting out a deep sigh.

When the phone rang forty-five minutes later, Liz had just exited the bathroom after having another episode. She picked up the phone and then plopped down on the couch, exhausted, before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what's going on?" It was Abbey.

"Mom. Thank God."

"What is it? Is everything ok?"

"I don't know. I've been throwing up all afternoon," Liz explained.

"How often?"

"Oh, I'd say in at least thirty-five of the last sixty minutes," she estimated.

"I see."

"I think I have the flu or something."

Abbey laughed.

"No, honey, you don't have the flu."

"Then how do you explain this, Dr. Bartlet?"

"Morning sickness, hon. Plain and simple," Abbey replied.

"Morning sickness? It's three in the afternoon!"

"I know. It's some kind of oxymoron and it's not the most pleasant thing in the world, but it is what it is."

Elizabeth sighed.

"Get used to it, Liz, because this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"God," Liz moaned. "This sucks."

"You said it, sister. Actually, I'm surprised you're experiencing this so early. To this extent at least."

"When does it usually start?" Liz asked.

"Well, technically, it can start anytime. But I never had any problem with morning sickness till at least the third or fourth month."

"Then this baby is a rebel."

"Just like its mother," Abbey concurred, laughing. "But uh, yeah I haven't been sick at all yet. Extreme fatigue, yes, but sick, no."

Elizabeth paused. For a moment there, she had forgotten that her mother was pregnant as well.

"Hmm."

"But listen, I gotta get back. I've just been paged back to the OR."

"Ok. Mom?"

"What, hon?"

"What time are you gonna be home tonight?" Liz asked, desperately. She was scared of all this, though she would never admit it.

"Well, I'm off at eight, so I should be home around nine or so. God willing."

Liz's heart sank. It was going to be a long night and she felt like she was going to face it all on her own.

"Ok. Is this going to stop any time soon?"

"It should. Hang in there, kid. I'll see you tonight."

When Abbey walked in the door at 5:30pm, she was exhausted and breathless. She kicked the door closed behind her and dropped her purse and keys on the floor beside the threshold.

Zoey was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table in the living room all alone, practicing her handwriting. But she immediately hopped up when she heard someone come in.

"Mommy!" She cried, with surprise, running toward her.

Abbey kneeled down, arms wide open, to catch her when she jumped into them.

"Hey, baby doll."

"I thought you were Daddy!"

"Mmm. I can see the resemblance," Abbey said, laughing.

"Lizzie said you weren't gonna be home till after I was asleep!"

"Change of plans!"

Zoey grinned, then took Abbey's hand and dragged her over to the couch. She sat down, while Zoey sat on the floor in front of her legs on and picked up her pencil.

"Wanna see my write my J's?" Zoey asked.

"Sure, baby, go ahead."

As Zoey wrote, slowly and carefully, Abbey looked around her unusually quiet house.

"Where is everyone, Zo?"

"Hold on," Zoey replied, as she concentrated on her letter-creating skills.  
"Done! Look. See? They're J's!" She exclaimed, excitedly, holding up her paper for Abbey to see.

"Very good! They're just perfect."

Zoey smiled from ear to ear, then hopped into her mother's lap, laying her head against Abbey's chest. Abbey wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter and they just sat in silence for a brief, peaceful moment.

"Oh. I forgot. Ellie's outside and I think Liz is upstairs," Zoey said, quietly, yawning.

"Ok," Abbey replied, running her fingers through Zoey's hair. "Is Daddy home yet?"

Zoey shook her head.

"Mommy?"

"What, baby doll?"

"Am I still gonna be your baby doll when the new baby comes?" She asked, timidly.

Abbey saw that Zoey was staring blankly, the way only a child can, at her stomach.

"Of course you are! You'll always be my baby doll. Even when you're thirty."

Zoey giggled.

"When I'm THIRTY? I'm never gonna be that old, Mommy."

Abbey laughed.

"You sure know how to make me feel young, Zoey."

She kissed the top of her head and said, "All right. Up. I gotta go take a shower."

"Why?" Zoey whined.

"Germs! I've been around sick people all day, honey."

"But you make them better, don't you?"

"Most of the time I do, but germs are still everywhere. Come on, get up."

Zoey hopped off of her lap and Abbey slowly stood up, now feeling dizzy.

As she started walking toward the stairs, Zoey asked, "Mom, what's for dinner?"

"Shit," Abbey said.

"Mommy!"

"Sorry, baby. You didn't hear that, ok?"

Zoey nodded reluctantly, secretly noting to tell her father that the next time she wanted something her mother said no to. Ah, the wonders of being blackmailed by a six-year-old.

Abbey stopped walking to think about dinner. She was in no condition to cook, with the way she felt right then. And Jed wasn't home, and who knew exactly when he would be?

"ELLIE!" She shouted, turning in the direction of the backyard, far away as it was.

Apparently her voice carried through a number of rooms, for Ellie came running to the house and into the living room.

"Hey! You're home."

"Yeah. I'm gonna go take a shower, and Dad's not home yet so why don't you call and order some food?" Abbey threw the portable phone at her.

"Oh, yes!" She cried, catching it. "What kind?"

"I don't know, what do you feel like?"

"Chinese!" Ellie and Zoey both exclaimed at once.

"Chinese it is." Abbey nodded.

The two youngest Bartlet girls both squealed as they ran into the kitchen to get the menu. Abbey then ascended the stairs, only to hear moaning coming from the upstairs bathroom.

"Liz? Elizabeth, are you all right?" She called, standing in front of the closed bathroom door.

"What do you think?"

"I'm coming in."

With that, she opened the door to find her daughter on the cold, linoleum floor, hunched over in front of the toilet.

"Oh, honey," Abbey said, kneeling beside her to hold back her hair.

"Has it been like this nonstop since we talked?" She asked.

"Pretty much," Liz answered. "You said it would stop."

"Well, some days will be worse than others. Just be thankful it didn't start till you got home from school."

"Yeah, but what if it does happen when I AM at school?"

"I don't know. You go to the bathroom, I guess."

"For the whole class period?"

"If you think it's going to be all period, then go to the nurse. That way you won't get in trouble," Abbey suggested.

"Yeah." She sighed. "Wait, I thought you were working till eight tonight?"

"Yeah, well, here I am."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Don't worry about it, Liz. I'm gonna go take my shower. You gonna be all right in here?" Abbey asked.

"I guess I'm gonna have to be."

Abbey flashed her a reassuring smile and left the room. 


	3. Chapter 3

When Jed Bartlet walked inside his house at 6:10pm, it was much louder than it had been half an hour earlier. Ellie was chasing Zoey around the house and both of them were screaming. Jed stood there and watched them, waiting to be noticed. Finally Zoey stopped short right in front of him, causing Ellie to run into her.

"Ow! Zoey!" She looked up. "Dad!"

"Hello, oh wonderfully behaved daughters of mine."

"Yeah, right, Dad," Ellie rolled her eyes and sat on the couch.

Zoey gave her father a hug first, then did the same.

"Where's your sister?" Jed asked, on his way to the kitchen.

"Upstairs, hurling," Ellie replied, nonchalantly.

"Hurling!" Jed said, opening the refridgerator and taking out a can of soda.

Ellie leaned back from the couch and, through the arched doorway that separated the kitchen and living room, shouted, "You better not let Mom catch you with that soda!"

"Unless you tell her, Mom will never know," he said, taking a swig.

"I don't need to tell her. She's just upstairs."

"What? She's home?"

"Yeah, I told you. She's upstairs," Ellie answered.

"She specifically told me she was not gonna be eating with us tonight," Jed argued.

"Dad, she's upstairs. Get over it. And she's probably not gonna be eating with us tonight. Her and Liz are upstairs, like, dead or something."

"Yeah, I don't think they want any Chinese," Zoey added, with a grin that plainly said 'more for us.'

"What Chinese?" Jed asked, walking back into the living room.

"The Chinese Mom told us to order," Ellie replied.

"She told you to order Chinese food?"

"Yeah! You're really slow tonight, ya know that?"

"That's unlike her," Jed said, suspiciously.

"Yeah, isn't it cool?"

"Uh huh," he said, throwing his empty soda can in the wastebasket and powerwalking up the stairs.

On his way to the master bedroom, he passed the bathroom and peaked in. No one. Then, he changed his course of direction and went to Liz's room. Surprisingly, the door was open and he walked in.

Elizabeth was laying on her bed with one hand over her forehand and one hand over her stomach.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yeah."

"How ya feeling? Ellie said you were, uh, throwing up."

"I feel like running a marathon, swimming a hundred laps, entering myself in the Tour de France and then, if I've still got it, discovering a cure for cancer."

"Well then. Not feeling so hot I take it?"

"No, Dad."

"That's all you had to say. But then again, you're pregnant…and you're a Bartlet, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

She let out a fake laugh.

"You're witty, Dad."

"Ok, I'm gonna go say hello to your mother. And pray to God she's in a better mood than you are."

"Do that."

Jed walked into his bedroom and heard the shower running from the master bathroom.

"Abbey?" He called, while loosening his tie and throwing it onto the bed.

"Hey!" She called back, from in the shower.

The door to the bathroom was open and he could feel the steam from where he stood. After taking off his shoes, he walked over and stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

"What are you doing home? You told me nine."

"Oh. Well, I wasn't feeling that well. I was just weak and exhausted. And you know me, I have to be at my absolute best around patients or I feel I'm not giving them everything they deserve."

"How did you manage to escape?" He asked.

"Eh, slow day."

"Slow day at Washington General? Please."

"And I called someone in to cover for me," she replied.

"I see. Are you feeling any better now?"

"Little bit. But I always feel better when I'm in the shower, so we'll see how I feel when I get out."

"Yeah."

"But how was your day?" Abbey asked.

"Eh, all right."

"How'd it go with those environmental lobbyists?"

"As good as we could expect. Hey. What's up with Liz?"

"Liz? Oh. Morning sickness," she replied.

"Already?"

"It would certainly seem that way. I feel awful though. She doesn't seem to be taking it well."

"Well, if I recall, you didn't take it that well the first time you were pregnant either," Jed pointed out.

"True. But then, I was older."

"Yeah. Did she, uh, talk to you at all about school today?" Jed asked, curiously.

"Not really, why?" She asked, turning the water off. "Hand me my bathrobe, will ya?"

He grabbed her terrycloth bathrobe, handed it to her through the shower curtain, then moved back to his original position by the door.

"I just…well, I heard it through the grapevine that the kids weren't exactly warm and welcoming to her today," Jed said.

"What? What grapevine would this be?"

"The McGarry grapevine. Mallory told Jenny who told Leo…"

"Who told you," Abbey finished, stepping out in the shower, now in her bathrobe.

"Right."

"Well, she didn't mention it to me so it couldn't have been too traumatic."

"That, or it was so traumatic she couldn't bring herself to mention it to you."

"Jed, if she wants to talk about it, she'll bring it up herself. Right now I think she's a little distracted," Abbey said, drying her hair off with a towel.

Jed nodded, pensively. She laughed at him.

"Babe, don't worry about Liz. She's a fighter."

"I know that. I just don't trust those kids at that school."

"I love how you're not concerned about me at all," Abbey said, smiling.

"Well I'm hardly worried about all those MDs at the hospital giving you a hard time about being pregnant."

"Hey, I'm the best thoracic surgeon in that whole damn place. Maybe they're scared of me leaving."

"Ha! I'd like to see them try and keep you away."

She grinned, then walked over and kissed him, quick on the lips.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"That was your hello kiss," she answered, kissing him again.

"And what was that for?"

"That was for being so concerned about Liz." She kissed him again, lingering a little longer this time.

"And that one?"

"Awe, that was just for fun." 


	4. Chapter 4

On June 2nd, a few days before the last day of school, Capitol Hill High held its annual awards ceremony. The ceremony was held in the auditorium and consisted of various student awards being presented. Among them was the Presidential Award of Academics. The award was given to those who had achieved at least a 3.5 GPA that year. It was a big among the Washington political big shots, most of whom had at least one child at Hill, and none of them ever missed a ceremony.

Representative Jed Bartlet, Senator Leo McGarry, and Congresswoman Jennifer McGarry were no exception. In fact, they sat as close to the stage as humanly possible. The students were seated on one side of the auditorium, with friends and family seated opposite them. Abbey sat in between Jed and Jenny, with Zoey on her lap, and Ellie sitting beside Jed, all of them dressed to the nines.

"Mommy, when is it gonna be Lizzie's turn?" Zoey whispered, impatiently, while the other names were called.

"Soon, baby doll," Abbey replied.

"I want it to be Lizzie's turn NOW!"

"Shh, Zo, it's almost Liz's turn."

"Candace L. Ballins. James M. Bannister. Michael J. Barnes. Elizabeth A. Bartlet."

Elizabeth smiled and stood when he name was called and started walking up to the stage. Both the Bartlets and the McGarrys were beaming as they clapped wildly.

Suddenly, through the roar of the crowd, a sinister voice shouted, "SLUT!"

Elizabeth stopped in her tracks on her way up the steps to the stage. The applause stopped and the room became silent as everyone turned to the back of the auditorium where the voice had come from.

Jed started to stand, but Abbey held him down, putting her hand in front of his chest.

A couple of boys in the back, including the one who had done the damage, began snickering, before noticing that the entire auditorium was focused upon them. A few teachers immediately walked toward them and lead them out of the auditorium.

The audience turned back to Liz, who was still standing frozen on the stairs. She saw the look of both disgust and shock on Mallory's face and decided she needed to continue on to the stage. She wasn't going to let this blatant act of disrespect hold her back from receiving her award. She took a deep breath, and walked on. As she did so, an overwhelming applause sounded from the audience. She grinned, tears brimming her eyes, as she accepted her award and took her place with the other award winners.

Jed and Abbey exchanged rueful glances before standing up and joining in the applause with everyone else.

After the ceremony, the Bartlets and the McGarrys went out for ice cream. Not one of them brought up the incident back at the school.

When they got home around 11pm, Jed put Ellie and Zoey to bed straight away. They didn't complain; they were exhausted. Abbey sat with Elizabeth on the couch while they waited for Jed to come back down. After a few minutes, he came down and sat in the chair across from Abbey and Liz.

"Looks, guys, I appreciate that you want to help, but I really don't want to talk about this. At least not right now. I'm tired."

"Liz, sweetie, we need to get this out in the open," Abbey insisted.

"Oh I think it's pretty out in the open now, Mom."

"How long has this been going on, Elizabeth?" Jed asked, seriously.

Liz shrugged.

"It's really not as bad as all that, I swear."

"Come on, Liz, it's bad. We were there. We heard it," Jed replied.

"Dad, I just…I really don't want to get into this. It's been a long night. I want to go to bed."

He looked at Abbey; she nodded, half-heartedly.

"Ok. Go on," he granted.

"Thank you. Goodnight, guys." She gave each of them a hug.

"Night, honey."

Elizabeth went upstairs, and Jed and Abbey were left alone.

"I can't take this," Jed said, with exhasperation.

"It's not you they're hurting, Jed, it's Liz."

"When someone hurts my family, they hurt me! You know that, Abbey."

"Yes, I know. But if Liz doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to. If she doesn't want to do anything about it, she doesn't have to."

He didn't say anything, he only looked distraught.

"I'm right, Jed. Tell me I'm right."

"You're right," he conceded, sighing. "I just…can't believe what happened tonight. I'm in shock."

"Me too," Abbey agreed, quietly. "I don't remember kids being so cruel when we were school."

"Well, I don't know about you, but we never had a pregnant sophmore at my school."

"We didn't either. At least not that I knew of."

"Oh, Abbey. I don't know what to do with this. I want to…protect her. I want to be her father but…"

"I know, babe. But she became an adult the moment the strip turned pink. She's got thick skin already, and it's only gonna get thicker as time goes on."

"She's still a baby, Abbey. She's my little girl."

She reached over and took his hands in hers.

"It's gonna be ok. Now, come on. Let's go to bed."

Elizabeth sat in front of her dresser and observed her reflection in the mirror. She looked older. Certainly not sixteen. She wouldn't have been surprised if she'd gained a few gray hairs after tonight's ordeal. She placed her award on the top of the dresser and gazed at it with a sad smile on her face.

"With every happiness, there comes a few sorrows."

She quietly laughed.

"Wise words for one so young, Liz," she said to herself.

She then looked over at the framed photograph of her parents that now sat next to the award. It had been taken eleven years earlier- Abbey was but a few months pregnant with Ellie. Liz compared her own face in the mirror to her mother's. Mallory was right; they did look almost to be the spitting image of each other. Abbey's features were a bit finer, her hair a bit darker, her smile more delicate.

Liz considered her mother for a moment. It was rare that she had just taken the time to stop and realize how truly incredible she was. To Liz, she was always just Mom, and was taken for granted like most others of her kind. But Abigail Bartlet was different, and it was only then that this occurred to Elizabeth. She was talented, ambitious, loving, intelligent, funny, and more beautiful than Liz herself could ever hope to be, at least in her own self-deprecating eyes. It was no wonder her parents were still together, Liz decided. Her father would be out of his mind to let her go.

"Ok, Mom," Liz said in a whisper, running her fingers over the glass that shielded the photograph.

"If I ever want to successfully emulate you, I'm going to have to be strong. Stronger. I won't disappoint you. I am going to have this baby and raise it the best way I know how- the way you did."

Abbey Bartlet had no idea her daughter admired her so. She'd never given her any indications that this might be so. But, if she had known how Elizabeth desired to emulate her, she never would have made her next move. 


	5. Chapter 5

The day after the award ceremony, Elizabeth had a good day.

It was exciting to her just to be able to say she had a good day. It had been so long. And it was surprising to her, after last night's ordeal, that not a single person at school harassed her in the least bit. She finished her last final exams of the year- and she knew she had totally aced them! To top it off, she hadn't felt sick all day. Something told her it was too good to be true.

11:09pm.

Jed sat on the couch, wringing his hands, as his gaze alternated from the clock to the window. Five hours late. She was five hours late! So far. He had been shifting back and forth from worry to suspicion all evening as he waited for his wife to return home. She had promised to be home by 6pm, "come hell, high water, or unexpected heavy influx of patients." Jed knew he was going to be in a meeting with Speaker Loudon till after eight, and Abbey promised she would be home to take Ellie to her soccer game at 6:30. When he got home at 8:45, there was no sign of her. He'd found Ellie sitting, blotchy-eyed, indicating that she'd been crying, on the stairs waiting. Liz had already put Zoey to bed and then been on the phone all evening.

After finally settling Ellie down in her room, he had sat and talked with Leo on the phone for about an hour, while Elizabeth sat near him and read a book. Then even she went to bed. But there was no way in hell he was going to bed until Abbey came home. The mixture of anger and concern he felt prevented him for doing so. He had called the hospital twice since he'd come home, and both times he was told "Dr. Bartlet cannot be reached right now," and nothing more. That meant nothing to him. It meant she could have left already or she could be tied up in the OR or with a patient. She had been working much later than usual throughout the past week. At first, he figured she was just trying to make up for that night she had left early. But when it continued, he became frustrated.

Finally, at 11:25pm, Jed heard keys unlocking the front door. He immediately sat up, ready to pounce. Abbey walked in the door, her head turned to the floor, her dark hair covering her face, and she dropped her purse at her normal place beside the door. He stood up quickly.

"Where the HELL have you been!" He exclaimed, causing her to jump with alarm.

When he saw her face, he noticed it was all red and wet with tears. She didn't respond to him, she only exhaled deeply, then sniffled. His look of anger was instantly replaced by a look of fear as he walked toward her.

"Oh my God, what happened?"

One look at him and the tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

"Oh, Abbey," he said with concern as he pulled her into his arms. "Baby, what happened?"

She continued to cry copiously and he held her tighter. Still, she said nothing. He pulled away far enough just so he could guide her over to the couch. He sat down and she lay down beside him, resting her head in his lap.

"Shh, it's ok, honey, it's all right," he said, soothingly, rubbing her back as she carried on with her tears.

Clearly she wasn't ready to talk, so he took the initiative.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you. I've just been frustrated that you've been working so late recently. But that's no excuse for me to…"

"It's ok," she whispered, sniffling. "I have an explanation for that, I should have told you."

"No, it's all right, you don't have to…"

"Yes, I do."

"Ok, whatever you want to do."

"Do you remember the girl I treated a few weeks ago? Felicity Meecham. She'd been raped…brutally."

"Oh. I remember," he replied, softly.

"Well, a lot of her wounds she acquired from the attack had been acting up and bothering her, so she'd checked herself into GW for the last week. Which is why I've been getting home so late. I just…I couldn't leave her, Jed. She was so fragile and…tormented."

"I understand, Abbey. Is that what you're upset about? Felicity?"

"Oh, God. Jed, you can't imagine what this girl has been through. I was off at five, and I went to check on her before I left. We started talking and…god, the horrible things she told me."

"What, honey."

"I can't even…lord. Alcoholic mother, abusive father, her sister was killed a few months ago in a car accident…and then the rape…she's only seventeen years old!"

She started to cry again. He continued to rub her back as she mustered up the strength to continue.

"Finally she told me that real reason she wanted to check herself in. The wounds were hurting her, yes, but there was something else. And it had taken her the whole week to get the confidence to tell me. And I just felt so…angry at myself. And the others who worked on Felicity with me. I couldn't believe, I still can't believe, that we'd overlooked it. We hadn't even really done a proper test…"

"Calm down, sweetie, it's ok," Jed comforted her.

"She was pregnant, Jed. Pregnant! That goddamn rapist got her pregnant. And we didn't even catch it," she admitted, weeping profusely.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Was pregnant?"

She swallowed her tears then took a deep breath.

"That's where I was tonight."

"Where?" He was confused.

She sighed and reluctantly sat up so she could look at him.

"She was carrying the rapist's baby, Jed. More or less the spawn of evil. She…she said she couldn't trust anyone else, besides me. I had to do it."

He frowned.

"Had to do what, Abbey?"

She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

"She couldn't let her parents know she was pregnant. So we didn't tell them. I feel now like I've broken some parental code of honor or something. I just…well, I'd want to know if my daughter had an…"

She stopped herself.

"Abbey, tell me you didn't," Jed pleaded with her, a desperate look in his eyes.

"I had to," she began tearing up again. "She said if I didn't do it, she wasn't going to let anyone. I couldn't…I couldn't let her have that baby."

"Good Lord, Abigail." He looked away from her.

"Jed." She turned his head to look into his eyes.

He saw the pain and agony plain on her face and immediately the wall he'd just built came crumbling down. She buried her head on his shoulder and cried, something she couldn't seem to stop herself from doing.

"It was horrible, Jed. I don't know how some other doctors can do it. There I was…taking the life away from this innocent, scarcely formed human being. There were points when I literally thought I was going to be sick. Right there in the operating room."

"Abbey, did anyone know you were doing this?"

"No," she replied, quietly.

"You did this without telling anyone at the hospital?"

Silence.

"She didn't want anyone to know. And…and I was too embarassed," she admitted.

"Oh, Abbey," he sighed, tightening his grip around her.

"I just kept thinking…that this life I'm aborting here with my own hands…that's what's inside me right now. And I felt like I was killing my own baby. It made me physically sick. And I…I…"

"Shh, it's all right, baby. Don't cry."

But hearing him say that only made her cry more. He held her close, and he looked up, blinking back tears. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her, but his mind kept wandering to the fact that his wife had just committed a mortal sin. Murder.

Ellie Bartlet had heard her mother come in and started downstairs to confront her about missing her soccer game. But when she saw her father guide her to the couch, as she cried, she stopped on the stairway and sat quietly, so as not to be noticed. And she'd heard everything. 


	6. Chapter 6

Elizabeth awoke to the sound of screaming. She bolted upright, and the screaming turned into mere whimpers. The whimpers turned into cries and the cries into words, which Elizabeth couldn't make out. It was coming from the room directly next to her own- Ellie's. She waited a moment. The noise didn't stop. Liz wondered why one of her parents hadn't gone in to check on her sister already. Reluctantly, she got out of bed and went into Ellie's room. She was clearly asleep, but crying and talking nonetheless.

"Mommy, no! No, not Lizzie. No! Don't, Mom! Don't kill the baby! Stop!"

Liz quickly moved to sit on the edge of the bed and shook Ellie awake.

"Ellie! Ellie, wake up."

Ellie opened her eyes, which were filled with years, and immediately threw herself into Liz's arms. When she had calmed down, she broke away and leaned back on her bed again.

"What were you dreaming about, El?" Liz asked, sympathetically .  
"It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare."

"Well, what happened?"

Ellie bit her lip, hesitantly.

"Come on, El, it's ok. You can tell me," Liz insisted.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Ellie, just tell me."

Ellie sighed.

"Ok. But you can't get mad," she demanded.

"I won't get mad," Liz agreed.

"Mom…well…Mom was killing the baby," Ellie admitted.

"What! Who's baby?"

"Your baby."

"Oh my God," Liz whispered, realizing how horrifying that must have been for her. "So the baby was already born in your dream?"

"No," Ellie replied.

At first, Elizabeth was confused. Then it dawned on her.  
"Oh, JESUS. That's…that's really freaky, Ellie. Why the heck would you dream about something like that?"

Ellie looked away. Liz eyed her suspiciously.

"Tell me, Ellie," Liz ordered. "Were the kids at your school giving you a hard time about this too?"

"No. But I…I heard Mom and Dad talking tonight."

"Yeah, what about?"

"Mom performed an abortion on someone tonight," Ellie blurted out, more blunt than she had intended too.

Liz's jaw dropped; she did not speak.

"On a rape victim. And she didn't tell anyone she was doing it."

Still, Elizabeth remained silent.

"She was crying, Liz. I'd never seen her like that before. I thought she was, like, having a ceizure or something. She said she felt like she was killing her own baby while she was doing it. Dad said it was like murder."

"He was mad," Liz whispered, more like a questioned than a statement.

"No, he was holding her. But I think he was pretty upset by it."

"Hmm," Liz mumbled, pensively.

"But not as upset as Mom. It seemed like she was scarred for life or something."

"I wonder why they didn't come in here when you were screaming," Liz stated, thoughtfully.

"They were probably out cold," Ellie said. "They took sleeping pills."

"How do you know?"

"Because Dad said, 'Honey, we'd better take some sleeping pills if we wanna sleep through the night,'" she answered, deepening her voice to imitate her father. "They were pretty freaked out, Liz."

"Yeah."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I feel bad for her."

At 7am, a pajama-clad Zoey crept into her parents' room. The sleeping pills they had indeed taken the night before were apparently effective for they were still sound asleep. She ran up and jumped on the bed.

"Mommy, Daddy, time to get uuuuup!" She said, sitting on Jed's back.

Jed groaned, languidly, and tried to twist himself around. With one arm, he scooped his 6-year-old off of him and she landed next to him on the bed.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go and get dressed?" Jed suggested, rubbing his eyes.

"Lizzie said to make sure you're both wide awake so you're not late for work."

Jed looked past Zoey at his wife. Abbey was clearly awake despite the fact that her eyes remained shut. Her eye makeup had run and dried around her eyes after the crying she'd done yesterday evening. His heart went out to her.

"Uh, tell Liz that Mom and I are gonna skip work today, honey," Jed said.  
Abbey's eyes shot open.

"Why?" Zoey asked.

Jed thought for a moment, and Abbey raised an eyebrow in anticipation of his response.

"Because…because it's your last day of school! And we wanted to be around when you got home."

Zoey grinned and gave her father a hug. Then she turned, smiling, to look at her mother.

"Hi, Mommy."

"Hi, sweetie," Abbey returned, with a weak smile.

Zoey could tell something was wrong with her mother. She had no idea what it could be, but it was definitely something.

"I love you!" Zoey cried, hugging her.

Abbey was touched and genuinely delighted.

"I love you too, baby doll."

Satisfied, Zoey crawled off of the bed.

"I'll tell Lizzie!" she promised, skipping out the door.

"Thank you!" Jed called after her, laughing.

Then, he gazed over at his wife.

"Hey," he said, smiling reassuringly.

She but sent him a bittersweet smile in return.

"How ya feeling?"

"Ok," she replied, yawning.

"I do want you to stay home today, Abbey."

Surprisingly, she didn't argue, she only nodded.

"And I'm staying home with you."

"Ok," she answered.

"Abbey."

He gently pushed her hair behind her ears and then ran the back of his hand over her cheek.

"Jed, I'm ok," she insisted.

He nodded.

"Of course you are."

"Jed, really, I am."

"Abbey."

"What?"

"I love you!" He said, imitating his youngest daughter.

She laughed.

"I love you too, baby doll."

"And I don't care about what you did," he stated, seriously now. "I understand why you did it. I love you for being so strong and I love you for essentially saving that girl's life, even though it went against everything you believe in. And I love you for being so completely honest with me about this."

At that, she began to tear up.

"Come here," he said, pulling her into him and holding her tight.

After a moment, there was a knock at the door and Elizabeth walked right in.

"Mom, Dad."

They broke apart only slightly to look up at her.

"Elizabeth," Jed said, with a mock formality.

"Uh…Zoey said you guys are gonna ditch work today?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered.

"Ok, well, um. I gotta leave to catch the bus now. Zoey and Ellie have to be at the bus stop in forty-five minutes. So if you could just make sure they leave on time…"

"Ok, Mom," Jed replied, laughing at her. Always the responsible one.

"Ok. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Liz," Jed said.

"Bye, honey," Abbey said.

"Have a great last day!" He called after her.

"Thank you!"

Forty-five minutes later, Ellie and Zoey had already left for school (only stopping in to see their parents once to say goodbye). Jed and Abbey were still in bed. They couldn't remember the last time they were able to lounge around in bed past 8 o'clock.

"So. What now?" Abbey questioned.

"What do you want to do?"

"Ohhh, can we just stay in bed all day?"

"We can do whatever you want, babe," he replied.

"Let's watch soap operas all day long. And eat marshmellows."

"Now, now, Dr. Bartlet. That may be hazardous to your health."

"Screw my health. I want marshmellows, I want junk food, and I want soda. Lots and lots of sugar and caffeine."

Jed grinned.

"You got it, dude."

But she was serious. 


	7. Chapter 7

"Mallory!" Liz shouted, jogging over to her best friend's locker before their last lunch period of the year.

"Hey."

"Whatcha doing?"

"Just cleaning out my locker. What are YOU up to?" Mallory asked.

"I have big news."

"Bigger than being sixteen and pregnant?"

"Possibly."

"Oooh, do tell."

"My mother, Dr. Abigail Anne Bartlet, M.D., gave someone an abortion last night," Liz announced.

"Oh my God, Liz. You're kidding!"

"Nope. She was a rape victim."

"Your mother!"

"No! The girl she performed the abortion on," Liz replied.

"Oh, wow. That's big. I can't belive she told you about it though."

"She didn't. Ellie told me."

"She told Ellie!"

"No, Ellie overheard her telling my dad."

"Well, how's she doing?" Mallory questioned.

"Not good. At all. She didn't go to work today. And Dad stayed home with her."

"They both stayed home? That's serious, Liz. They never stay home from work."

"I know. But I don't really know what to do. I mean, she doesn't even think I know about it. What can I do?" Elizabeth said.

"Just be there for her, I guess. How do you feel about this? Are you ok?"

"I don't like it, Mal. Period. But like…I kind of admire her, like why she did it. It took a lot of courage. I mean, even you know how my mom feels about abortions."

"Yeah."

"She's pro-other people having them, but she'd never have one. And, up until now, she'd never perform them. I just…I don't know, I'm worried about her. She gets freaked out about stuff. I don't know how it's gonna be," Liz admitted.

"Well, she's got your dad. You know he'll do anything for her. She'll be ok."

"Yeah. So anyway…three hours till freedom!"

By the time Liz got home, Jed had managed to get himself dressed and out of bed. He wanted to take the girls out for ice cream or dinner when they got home, to celebrate the end of the school year. Liz found him in the kitchen rummaging through the cabinets.

"Hey, Dad," she greeted him, throwing her backpack down on a chair.

He whipped around.

"Hey, Lizzie. How was it?"

She hopped up and sat down on the counter top.

"It was good! I'm just so glad it's over. For a few months anyway."

"Did you cry?" Jed asked, facetiously.

"Only a little."

"Ha!"

"Mallory cried too!"

"Girls will be girls."

"Shut up," she laughed.

He tossed her a juice box.

"Where's Mom?" Liz questioned.

"Upstairs."

"Is she asleep or something?"

"Doubt it."

"I'm gonna go say hi," she said.

"Ok. Liz?"

"Yeah."

"Be nice."

She looked at him suspiciously, then nodded and left the room.

"Mom?" Elizabeth called as she opened the door to her parents' bedroom.

"Hi, darlin," Abbey said, sitting up and propping a pillow up behind her.

Liz went over and sat beside her on the bed. She was shocked to see bags of chips and other snacks, cans of soda, and various candy wrappers strewn around the bed area. No wonder her father had escaped the mess.

"What the hell is going on!" Liz exclaimed.

"Elizabeth Adele Bartlet, don't you dare swear at me!" Abbey snapped back.

"Candy? Soda? Mom, there is more junk food here on this bed than in Dad's secret stash!"

"I just had a moment of weakness is all."

"A moment? Looks like you've had an entire day of weakness."

"I'm pregnant. They're called cravings. I can't control it," Abbey argued.

"That is not what this is, Mother."

"Why do you care so much, Elizabeth!"

"Because I care about you and this isn't right!" Liz cried, storming out of the room.

She continued on walking till she got to her own room.

"That's it," she whispered to herself.

And she decided that her only option now was to call for back up. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures.

The phone rang loud and clear in the McGarry residence. Mallory raced to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mal, it's me."

"Hey, Liz. School's been over two hours and already you can't live without me," Mallory said, laughing.

"You got me. Hey, is your mother around?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. She came home early today. Why?"

"Can you put her on the phone?" Liz asked.

"Why?"

"I have a proposition for her." 


	8. Chapter 8

"ABIGAIL!"

Jennifer McGarry burst through the Bartlets' front door without knocking. Mallory entered slowly after her.

"Abbey!" She shouted up the staircase, to no avail.

Jed rushed in from the kitchen, with Zoey, Liz, and Ellie trailing behind, to see what was going on.

"Jenny? What's going on?" He questioned with concern.

Mallory moved to the other side of the room to stand next to Liz.

"You're asking ME?"

"You're the one who just burst into my house shouting like a maniac, Jen," Jed pointed out, laughing slightly.

"Where is she?" Jenny asked.

"Abbey?"

"No, Jane Fonda. What do you think?"

"She's upstairs. What are you…"

"ABBEY!" Jenny shouted, quickly ascending the stairs.

Jed ran after her.

"Jenny, what is going…"

"Jenny?" Abbey called, softly, from her bedroom.

"I'm coming, honey!" Jenny called back, racing to the room.

Jed put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Tell me what's going on."

"I cannot believe you let this happen," Jenny accused.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're supposed to know her better than anybody. And then what happens? I get a call from your teenage daughter begging me to come over and save her mother."

Jed glanced down at Liz, who was standing at the foot of the stairs watching with the rest of the girls.

"Look, Jen, Abbey's just not feeling well so she…"

"Don't bullshit me, Jed Bartlet. She's got junk food in there, dammit," Jenny argued.

"She's pregnant…"

"Pregnant or not, Abbey Bartlet does not go on junk food binges. How could you not have recognized the severity of this situation?"

Jed was speechless. How could he argue with a statement that sounded so ridiculous? To someone else, it would have sounded ridiculous at least. But suddenly he realized that Jenny was right. Abbey Bartlet does not go on junk food binges, period. He should have realized it right from the beginning. She was wallowing her own self-pity. And her concern about health was the first casualty of war. It was only going to get worse.

Jenny shook her head with disdain and headed into Abbey's room and subsequently shut the door before Jed could follow her in.

"What went on out there?" Abbey asked, confused.

Jenny came and sat down on the bed next to Abbey.

"Abbey, your husband's a jackass."

Abbey laughed.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I'm serious."

"Why is he a jackass this time?" Abbey questioned.

"For letting you lay in here stuffing your face, watching television. My God, look at this place. Food everywhere. Not just food…sugar. Candy. More caffeine than should ever be consumed by a single human being! I can't believe you, Abbey."

"You don't know, Jenny. You don't know what happened."

"I'll be damned if I don't!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Who told you!" Abbey demanded.

"Your lovely daughter, that's who."

"Liz," Abbey muttered, under her breath.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"I was going to eventually. When I felt better."

"If you waited until you felt better to call me, then what good would I have been to you? I'm your best friend. It's moments like these when I come in handy," Jenny said.

"I can't believe Liz had the nerve to call you."

"Be grateful."

"Why?" Abbey asked.

"Because I'm getting you the hell out of here."

"What!"

"I've already rounded up the gang. Red alert. They'll be here tomorrow morning and then we're gone," Jenny announced.

"You're kidding."

"I most certainy am not. They're taking an overnight train to DC. We all leave for New York City tomorrow morning."

"But, Jen, I…"

"…better start packing," Jenny finished for her.

"Jen, I can't just up and leave. Neither can you, for that matter."

"Oh, yes, we can! And we will. Don't worry. I've taken the liberty of calling the hospital for you already."

"You what!"

"You're not feeling well. Constant morning sickness. If anyone asks." Jenny winked.

"Jenny…" Abbey started to protest in a whining voice.

Jenny hopped up and opened Abbey's closet.

"Now. Do you want to bring your black leather skirt or the denim one?"

All Abbey could do was laugh incredulously at her best friend's audacity.

"All right. Both then," Jenny decided, pulling them both off the hanger.

By this time, Jed had already returned downstairs. He knew better than to go into his bedroom at that given moment. Jenny and Abbey were two very obstinate women and there was no way in hell he was going to get in their line of fire. He sat with the girls in the living room while they watched TV.

"Jenny!" They all heard Leo shout as he unexpectedly burst into the Bartlet household, something which seemed to be the trend that day.

"Don't bother, Leo. She's upstairs with Abbey," Jed said, blandly, not even looking behind him at Leo.

Leo walked over to him.

"What's going on?"

"Don't know."

Leo looked at Mallory.

"Mal, what's going on?"

"If he doesn't know, I don't know!" Mallory said.

"My wife left me a note saying 'Meet me at Jed & Abbey's ASAP. Something's happened.' What the hell does that mean?"

"Hey!" Zoey cried out, at the mentioning of hell.

"Sorry, Zoey," Leo replied. "What the heck does that mean?"

"Well, Jenny is apparently under the impression that my wife needs some sort of saving. Abbey is Snow White, Jenny's the prince, and apparently our daughters are the dwarves."

"What are you, the Brothers Grimm? That tells me absolutely nothing!"

Jed sighed and said, "Have a seat. We're watching The Cosby Show. The Huxtables are at it again."

Leo reluctantly sat down next to Jed on the couch. Then Ellie came waltzing back into the living room.

"Hey! Dad, that was my seat!" She cried, referring to where Leo was now sitting.

"Then sit on the floor, Bashful."

"Bashful!" Ellie exclaimed, offensively.

"All right then. Sneezy."

"No, Ellie's Grumpy!" Zoey added, sticking her tongue out at her older sister.

"Then what am I?" Liz asked.

"You're Sleepy."

"And what are you?"

"I'm Happy!" Zoey exclaimed, letting out a little giggle.

Liz rolled her eyes.

"Dork," she muttered under her breath, laughing.

"Dad! Lizzie called me a dork!"

"Elizabeth, your sister is not a dork. She's Dopey," Jed said.  
"Yeah, ok, Doc."

"I feel left out," Mallory complained.

"This is a ridiculous conversation," Leo mumbled. He was still frustrated about the whole situation.

"Hey, Elizabeth," Ellie said. "Remember when Zoey used to call you Lizzlebit?"

Everyone started laughing. Zoey pouted.

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did! You called her Lizzlebit!"

"No! Dad!"

"Sorry, honey, but your sisters are right for once," Jed replied. "You did call her Lizzlebit."

Zoey continued pouting.  
"Cheer up, Zo," Liz said. "It was cute. Embarassing around other people, but cute."

Just then, Jenny came bounding down the stairs. Leo immediately stood and walked over to her.

"Well?"

"Well, let's go," Jenny said.

Mallory stood up as well.

"What do you mean 'let's go'? You're not even gonna tell me what happened?" Leo said.

"In the car, Leo. Come on, Mallory."

"Jenny…" Jed began.

"Jed, don't worry about it. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you," Jenny admitted.

"Ok, but I…"

"We'll be back first thing tomorrow morning."

"What? Why?"

"I'm picking up Abbey and dropping off Leo and Mallory."

"Excuse me!" Leo exclaimed.

"Abbey and I are going to New York City. You and Leo are taking care of the kids while we're gone."

"And just who decided this?" Leo demanded.

"I did!"

"And what about Abbey?" Jed inquired.

"She's on board."

"And just who are you going to New York with, may I ask!" Jed was almost shouting now.

"Millie, Julia, and Michelle. They're coming down from New England."

Jed and Leo didn't know what to say. They both knew that any arguments or protests they might have would be completely wasted on Jenny. There was nothing they could do but go along with it.

That night, Jed and Abbey had retreated to their bedroom much earlier than usual. Liz assumed it was because he was trying to talk Abbey out of going to New York. She knew the reason couldn't be "that other thing" (which she preferred not to think about…ever) because she didn't hear a single noise come from the room all night long. Thus, after Ellie and Zoey had gone to bed, Liz was on her own. It was her first official night of summer. And she was spending it at home watching TV while the rest of her house was silent. This depressed her greatly. When the phone rang at 9:35pm, she was grateful for the disturbed silence.

"Hello?"

"Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Ben."

"Oh." Well, that had certainly taken her by surprise. "Hi."

"Um. How are you?"

"I'm…good. How are you?" She asked.

"Fine, fine. I'm calling because…well, we never really…you know, talked about this."

That's right. They had hardly considered their situation at all. She'd told him she was pregnant, he nearly fainted, she went home. And that was that.

"I guess we didn't."

"So you wanna get together soon and talk about it? Maybe tomorrow?

She hesitated, before realizing there was no getting out of this one. It was an inevitable conversation.

"Uh, sure. Tomorrow's good."

"Ok. I'll swing by and pick you up around six, all right?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Liz."

"Bye."

Elizabeth suddenly regretted instigating the New York plan. Tomorrow night was going to be hell, and she knew she would be looking to Abbey for support. But she wouldn't be there. It was going to be one helluva weekend. 


	9. Chapter 9

Early the next morning, Jed was in their room helping Abbey finish packing her suitcases. He wasn't feeling completely comfortable with this trip. If Abbey was having a hard time, he would prefer that she be with him, and not far away in a city full of trouble. But Abbey felt differently. She wanted to escape her situation entirely and go far, far away. Not that she wanted to escape her husband and her children particularly, because she didn't. She just needed to find peace of mind, a new perspective. Only then would she feel better.

"Are you sure wanna do this?" Jed asked.

"Yes," she replied, simply.

"You know, if you want to get away, I could take you somewhere. Anywhere. Just us."

"No, Jed. This is what I want to do. It's not you, it's not the kids. I just need a little change of pace," Abbey explained.

"You're only going for the weekend, right?" He asked, nervously.

"Yes, I'm only going for the weekend," she answered, matter-of-factly. "I'll be back Sunday."

"If you change your mind…"

"I'm going, Jed. I need to have a weekend with just the girls"  
"Ok, ok. But I want you to call me when you get there."

"Yeah, I will," she replied.

"Promise?"

"I promise! Come on, let's finish packing."

Meanwhile, the Bartlet girls were downstairs in the living room waiting. Like their father, they too were apprehensive about Abbey going on this trip.

"Liz, explain to me again why Mom is going to New York," Ellie said.

"Just a little vacation. She needs to get away for awhile."

"Is it because of us?" Zoey asked.

"No, Zoey. She just needs a break. It's like…how you need recess at school. Understand?"

"I guess. But this is a really long recess."

"Well…it's an adult recess," Liz explained. "Adult recesses are longer."

"So this vacation is a recess," Ellie recapped. "And New York is the playground?"

"Uh…yeah, basically."

"I don't know. I don't like it," Ellie stated.

"It's not up to you, El."

"And she's gonna be back Sunday?" Zoey questioned.

"Yep. Sunday," Liz replied.

"Why can't we go with her?"

"Because she needs to be alone, Zoey! Dad isn't even going with her. It's just for the girls."

"But we're girls!" Zoey protested.

"Yeah, but it's not the same thing."

"Who else is going on this trip again?" Ellie wondered.

"Mom, Jenny, Aunt Julia, Aunt Michelle, and Millie."

"That's it?"

"As far as I know."

"When are they coming?"

"Any minute now."

At that moment, the front door flew open and a chorus of squeals and shouts filled the house. The girls quickly shifted to see them, their mother's best friends (and sisters). But…not only them. In addition, they had all broughts their husbands…and their children.

"We're here!" Jenny shouted as they all piled into the living room.

Liz, Ellie, and Zoey ran over and gave everyone a hug, surprised at the amount of them.

"What are you all doing here!" Liz asked.

"Surprise!" Julia said.

"Well, yeah but…"

Her sentence was interuppted when everyone noticed Abbey come down the stairs, with Jed following close behind.

"Abbey!" Millie ran over and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, honey, how are you?" Michelle came over and hugged her as well.

Abbey blinked back tears. She was so thrilled to see all of them. Then she noticed Amanda Bartlet-Walton, who was purposely hiding behind everyone.

"Oh my God, Amanda!" Abbey exclaimed, running up and hugging her.  
"Jesus, you look disgustingly gorgeous. It's sickening how fabulous you look," Amanda said, with mock disdain.

"I didn't know you were coming!"

"That's because we didn't tell you," Jenny said, grinning.

Jed cleared his throat and all the women turned their attention to him, Amanda in particular.

"Ahem. Amanda," Jed said.

"Hello, cuz," she grinned and walked over for a big bear hug from her cousin.

It was only then that Abbey noticed not only the women, but their husbands and children.

"Oh my God," she said, under her breath. "What's all this?"

"We couldn't leave the guys own their own with the kids while we were away," Millie admitted.

"So they're all gonna stay here with Jed," Amanda said. Jed shot her an evil glance, and Amanda laughed.

And there were many of them. Millicent had brought her husband, Scott Griffith, and their children, Joe (14) and Evan (11). Abbey's younger sister, Michelle, brought her husband, Dallas Brady, and their four children- Tallulah (13), Jake (12), Stephanie (9), and Ryan (7). Amanda had her husband, Matthew Walton, with her, along with their two children- Mark (14) and Julie (10). Julia brought along her husband, whom she'd married only two weeks earlier. His name was André Meluard and yes, he was French. Very French. And, of course, Jenny brought Leo and Mallory. This added up to a total of twelve children and six guys, and they had to inhabit one house for two days and three nights. The look of sheer panic on Jed's face was priceless.

"So. Are you ready?" Jenny questioned, anxiously.

"You mean you're really leaving everyone here in this house?"

"You bet we are. Now, come on, everyone. Say your goodbyes."

The women all obliged and said their goodbyes to their husbands and children.

"Come on, Abbey!" Jenny beckoned, as Abbey was hugging Zoey.

They broke apart, and Abbey turned to Jed, for a moment just looking at him apologetically. After a deep sigh, she leaned in and kissed him. The kiss was short enough that it didn't gross out any of the kids, and long enough to let him know how much she appreciated his concern. Long enough to show that she knew how much he loved her, and that she reciprocated the feeling wholeheartedly. It was a silent communication they were quite familiar with, one they both understood completely. When she finally pulled away, all of his apprehensions about her going on the trip melted away. He trusted her, and if she thought this would make her feel better, he was in complete favor of it. There was nothing that needed to be said between them. Thus, with a half-smile, Abbey bid him farewell. She took hold of her suitcase and the girls ushered her out of the house, all of them giggling and shreiking like schoolgirls. And while it was a much-anticipated girls' weekend out for them, their departure was such sweet sorrow for their husbands, for each of them was rather intimidated by the thought of being alone for three days with twelve kids.

They all piled into Jenny's minivan, with Jenny driving and Abbey in the passenger's seat.

"We need music!" Julia shouted from the back.

"Yeah, put on some Dylan!" Amanda suggested.

"Just like the old days," Michelle said, sighing nostalgically.

"I don't know….might remind Abbey about her shady past," Jenny said, raising an eyebrow at Abbey.

They all shreiked with laughter. Abbey blushed.

"Abbey, what do YOU want to listen to?"

"Anything but you guys!" She cried, giggling at them. She missed this quality time with her girlfriends.

"What an idea," Julia mused, thoughtfully.

"Oh, no," Abbey mumbled.

"Looks like we're going to have to make our own music, guys. What do you think? Should we sing 'Hey Jude' or torture Abbey with 'Blowin' in the Wind'?"

"Ahhhh!" Abbey moaned between spurts of laughter. "This is going to be an unbearable vacation!" 


End file.
